


"Whatever You Wanna Be" | Monty & Winston

by angieek16



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26180293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angieek16/pseuds/angieek16
Summary: What would happen if Monty got the justice he deserves? What was behind the building of Monty and Winston's relationship? In this story, you will experience how Monty's life was in the 2-3 weeks after homecoming night and his death. It also contains him getting the justice he deserves, but how? This story focuses on the flashbacks the writers from 13 reasons why failed to give us. There will be two timelines. The flashbacks that happened in the few weeks after homecoming, and present time. The flashback timeline occurs the night of homecoming at Winston's house, while the present takes place right before Winston confronts Ani. When you read this, imagine the scenes playing in your minds and really feel the emotions. We are left on one question: Are Clay and his friends going to face the consequences?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Empty

"I'm not fucking gay." Monty said, looking into Winston's eyes.

"Okay, cool, you can be whatever you wanna be." Winston told him without judgment.

Monty knew that wasn't true, he glanced at Winston, "No, I.. I can't."

The two boys stared at each other for a few moments before Winston said, "When you're with me you can." Those words took Monty's mind to a place filled with thoughts. He broke the words down in his head and started to wonder: How could someone show this much affection towards him?

Monty pushed his thoughts aside when he realized Winston had fallen into his arms and had rested his head on his chest, snuggling him. Monty felt safe in that moment, he didn't want anything more. Monty put his hand around Winston and stayed there for what could have been forever.

Monty thought about Winston's words, "You can be whatever you wanna be." Those words echoed in Monty's head. That was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to him. He realized at that moment that he didn't want to loose Winston. Monty, with Winston still in his arms, began to sob silently into the night.  
————————————————————————  
Winston Williams turned his back as he saw Ani walking out the door of Monet's. "What did you tell the cops?" Winston asked.

"Look, Winston-" Ani began to say.

"He didn't kill Bryce, he was with me." Winston told her. Ani looked at him and looked at the ground, silent.

"What'd you tell them?"

"Winston... he was already gone-" Ani started to say before being cut off.

"He was a human being. Okay? He was a human being. He didn't deserve to die like that."

Ani looked up, "I know."

Winston gave her a stare before he turned his back and walked away.

Nobody could imagine what was going through his head. The moment he heard that Ani Achola had given a testimony accusing Montgomery of killing Bryce Walker, he knew it wasn't true. Winston wanted to confront her as soon as possible.

Winston couldn't process that Montgomery was dead, it didn't seem real to him. The moments they had spend together were vulnerable, beautiful and raw. Not only did he feel a strong connection with Monty, but he also felt safe and protected. He had fallen for this guy and all of a sudden he was taken away from him.

As nightfall arrived, Winston got into his car and drove. He didn't know where he was going, he just needed to be away. Winston found himself in his car, parked in an area where the whole town could be seen. He thought about how unfair the world was and how something he desperately needed was just gone.

He saw a drop of rain fall onto his car window, he felt a tear shed. He couldn't hold in the tears in anymore. He leaned against the seat belt strap, sobbing silently as he watched the rain drops racing down the window.

He couldn't feel anything, he knew his relationship with Monty was something special, something that couldn't be forgotten. It was all ripped away from him. Emptiness, he felt empty.


	2. Our spot

"Can I show you something?" Monty said.

"Yeah, sure. Where are we going?" Winston replied.

Monty wanted it to be a surprise, he told Winston exactly that. They both got into Monty's car and Monty started to drive.

That morning Monty texted Winston telling him that he wanted to meet up again, he agreed. Monty waited until after school to go drive to Winston's house because he had something to show him.

While in the car, Monty kept glancing at Winston. Monty didn't want to lose him, he felt comfortable with him. And he wanted to make sure Winston was also comfortable with him. Eventually, Monty drove up a steep road, and a few minutes later they arrived.

By the time they had gotten there, the sun was setting. Luckily, Winston brought his camera with him, so he could take some pictures.

The entire town could be seen, the city lights glistened in the distance. It was the quiet side of town, very calm, peaceful place.

Monty parked his car not too far away from the cliff. Winston got his camera out and started taking pictures of the sunset as Monty watched him. After he was done, he saw Monty sitting down on the hood of his car, looking at the sky. "So, why'd you bring me here?" Winston asked.

Monty hesitated, "I come here sometimes when me and my dad have a fight, or when he gets drunk and goes after me... I sneak out to come here." Monty looked to the ground, "Since Bryce died, I've been fucked up. It doesn't sound real when they say someone killed him."

Winston didn't know how to respond to Monty. He could hear the pain in his voice. It was clear to him that Monty had a toxic home life and couldn't be able to accept himself. His best friend had died and he was trying to figure out how to handle his death and mourn for him. Winston wanted to help Monty get away from that and learn to be free and happy for once. Monty needed some time to know that it's okay to be yourself. Winston knew Monty was a troubled guy and that's part of what made him get closer to him. Winston didn't want to loose Monty either, the more he got to know him, the more he fell in love with him.

Winston sat down where Monty was, and he held his hand. Monty looked at his hand and then at Winston, who was watching the beautiful sunset. Winston laid his head on Monty's shoulder. They wrapped their hands around each other, protecting and comforting one another, never wanting to let go.

Monty's heart was racing, but at the same time he was calm. Everything felt like it was going to be okay, as long as he had Winston by his side. They both loved each other's company.

"Do you want to come here more often?" Said Winston, still wrapped in Monty's arms.

"It can be our spot." Monty replied.

Monty drove home, he thought about the time he had spent with Winston and it gave him a slight smile. He parked his car, unlocking the door to the house. He didn't hear screaming from his father, so that was a good sign. As Monty walked down the hallway to get to his room, he heard Estela call his name, "Hey, Monty!"

Estela was in her room, on her phone, sitting on her bed. She had some news that she wanted to share with him.

Monty looked at her and said, "Hey."

"Come in here, I have something to tell you." Estela said with a warm smile.

Monty sat down while she continued, "I was thinking about transferring to Liberty next semester. You know, I've been wanting to go there for a while. We can be there for each other and have some more sibling time." Estela said.

Monty gave her a smile, "Yeah, you should. Just be careful, make sure to let me know if some asshole bothers you." Monty said.

"Will do." Estela chuckled.

They both laughed while Monty got up, "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Dad will be home soon so be alert, you know how he gets." Estela said quietly.

"I know." He paused, "Good night, Estela."

"Goodnight."

Monty went into his small room, turned off the lamp, and tried closing his eyes. His mind went back to his thoughts. His dad had always told them that being gay was wrong. Monty knew if his dad ever found out about Winston he would kill him, they had to remain a secret for now.

Winston was Monty's hope, Winston made it seem like anything was possible. It was his spark of light when the whole world became dark.

Monty closed his eyes until he heard the loud, angry footsteps of his father.  
————————————————————————  
Winston's parents never really talked to him, they let Winston free-range. Besides school, there was never really anything going on in Winston's life. That all changed when he met Monty. Their love was something that couldn't be forgotten. Winston could only think of one sentence: Why is this world so unfair?

Winston knew for a fact that Monty didn't kill Bryce, he was Monty's alibi and should tell the truth about him. It was the least he could do. He wanted to bring Monty justice, he knew it was going to take time, he just didn't know how long.  



	3. It continues

Monty heard his dad's loud footsteps. Mr de la Cruz started banging on the bedroom door. Monty jumped at the sound. He knew that his father was angry, at the moment he heard the loud bangs on the bedroom door.

"OPEN THE DOOR." Mr de la Cruz demanded.

"Alright, alright!" said Monty as he got up. He opened the door to a mad Mr de la Cruz.

"What the fuck did you do now, you little shit?"

"What are you talking about?" Monty said, tired.

"The police called, something about where you were homecoming night."

Monty was hesitant on what to say. If he told his dad where he actually was that night, then it was going to be absolute hell for not only him, but for Winston. He didn't want to drag Winston in this. "Me and the guys went to Charlie's." Monty finally said.

"You slept there?" Mr de la Cruz asked.

Monty knew where this was going, "Yeah, bunch of guys did." Mr de la Cruz had a disgusted look on his face when Monty said that.

"The police better not call again, or we're going to serious problems. Don't fuck this up, Montgomery."  
Mr de la Cruz signed, and slammed the door.

After what had just happened, Monty couldn't go to sleep. He got up and called Winston, "I need you."  
————————————————————————  
Winston wanted to see how Monty's family was doing during this hard time. He couldn't imagine the pain his mother and sister were going through. From what Winston heard from Monty, Mr de la Cruz was a violent man. Winston knew that he couldn't care less about Monty's death. Winston got dressed, got into his car and drove. He knew where the de la Cruz's lived, Monty had shown him. He parked on the side of the street and unlocked his car. He went up to the doorbell and took a deep breath before a short haired woman opened the door.

"Hello." she answered.

The woman had a slight Spanish accent, dark hair, hazel eyes. Her eyes reminded him of Monty.

"My name is Winston. I-uh was friends with Montgomery." Winston said hesitantly.

"You were friends with Montgomery?" She replied.

"Yes, I was." Winston said quickly.

"Would you like to come in?" The woman told him.

"Yeah, if it's okay." Winston said, not trying to sound forceful. He had come there to support Monty's mother, it was a difficult time for both of them. Mrs de la Cruz nodded.

When Winston walked in, the living room was near the entrance, the kitchen was in the back, and the dining room was in the middle. On each of the big room, there was two hallways. One leading to Monty and Estela's bedrooms, while the other hallway on the opposite side lead to their parents bedroom. Mrs de la Cruz motioned Winston to sit down on the couch, she was the first to talk. "I didn't know Montgomery had friends from different schools." She said.

"Yeah. Well, we met at a party over the summer. We kept in contact after that."

Winston wasn't aware that Monty had come out to his dad shortly before his death. Mr de la Cruz had told his wife what Monty told him, but she didn't care though. Her son was gone, she loved him so much. Mrs de la Cruz shed a tear before Winston said, "He had a side nobody else saw."

She looked up. She could sense that Winston was close to Monty. "Did you love him?" she asked, wiping her tears.

"I did-" Winston cut himself off, "I still do."

Mrs de la Cruz got up and went to hug Winston. The room was silent for a few seconds. Winston couldn't imagine her pain. Her own son had been killed, framed for a crime he didn't commit. There was one question Winston kept thinking about: Did they know he didn't kill Bryce?

Mrs de la Cruz stood up and brought Winston a glass of water, and for herself. When she got back, Winston broke the silence, "Do you believe he could have killed Bryce?" He asked, he tried to not push her for any answers.

"I don't want to believe he did, Bryce was his best friend. Who knows if someone is behind the tape the police found in Montgomery's locker."

Ever since Mrs de la Cruz saw Monty get arrested, she couldn't stop crying. She had endless amounts of love for Estela and Monty. Whenever her husband would get drunk after he came home from work, that's where the problems began. Monty would protect his mother and sister from his father. He would take beatings and take on the fights. Estela would hide in her room, crying and hoping it all would stop. Whenever Monty's mother tried to defend him, Monty would protect her first and tell her to go hide. You could say that Mrs de la Cruz was scared of her husband when he would get drunk. Afterwards, she would go to Monty's room and try to help him take care of the bruises and cook for him. She loved both of her children with her whole heart.

Winston nodded. Mrs de la Cruz took Winston's hands in her own. "I'm glad Montgomery showed you the side that he couldn't share with anyone else. You were special to him, which makes you special to me. Let's keep in contact, is that okay, Winston?

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry for your loss and I promise it will get better. I'll be here if you ever need me." Winston replied.

"Thank you." she said. Mrs de la Cruz took Winston to the front door. As Winston left, he could tell that Monty's mother was in a lot of pain. He wanted to be there to support her. Winston wanted to tell her that he was Monty's alibi, but Winston kept it a secret for now. Once he got all the evidence he needed, then he would go to the police. It was all a matter of time.  
————————————————————————  
"Are you okay, did something happen? Winston answered. Monty sounded like he was in trouble and needed comfort.

"The police called, they were asking where everyone was homecoming night. My dad came and asked me but I told him I went out with the guys." Monty said quietly.

It was silent for a second. Winston didn't like that Monty didn't tell his dad the truth, but Winston had an idea of how Monty's dad was so he figured it was best to do so anyway. "Oh, okay." Winston replied.

"Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun and I got some great pictures." Winston smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Monty said, also smiling.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Winston told him.

"I will, I promise." Monty said.  
————————————————————————  
One month later, Winston learned that he had been expelled from Hillcrest. Brian Chu, the person who took the SAT for him got caught hacking the school servers. He ratted everyone out to save himself. Honestly, Winston wasn't that upset that he got expelled from Hillcrest. Somehow this gave him hope. He thought about it and decided that he was going to transfer to Liberty High for the second semester of the school year. He knew the people who framed him went to school there and would know something about who actually killed Bryce Walker. Winston was determined to bring Monty justice, but he knew it was going to take time. Life continues, it continues.  



	4. It'll be okay

"I'll be fine going to Liberty." Winston looked at his iPad. He was scrolling through Clay Jensen's Facebook page, looking at pictures of him and his friends. "I know a few people there, it'll be nice to get closer to them." Winston said.

Ever since he met her, Winston had always been in touch with Mrs de la Cruz. She was recovering and getting better. But, Winston heard pain in her voice whenever they would talk on the phone. "Someone has to know something." She would tell him.

A few weeks later, It was finally the first day of school of the second semester at Liberty. Winston wasn't exactly nervous, but he was determined. Justice wasn't going to be found right away, he thought. He told himself that he would take as much time as he needed. He knew Ani definitely had something to do with framing Monty. Ever since he confronted her, he knew for a fact that she knew something about Bryce's murder.  
————————————————————————  
It had been 7 days since Bryce was murdered. Monty wasn't doing too well. His grades began dropping, he had just given up on trying to succeed, Monty didn't care about anything. But, there was one light in the empty, dark place that he was was in, Winston. Winston kept Monty going, Winston was all he had, nobody else had cared so much about him.

At school, Monty was in the same mood as usual. Today was Friday, and Bryce's funeral was on Sunday. Monty had just heard that the police were checking lockers for any possible evidence. He went to his locker, and took out a passage with "HE WONT TALK" written on it with red marker. Monty placed it in his car, then he walked back to class.

Little did Monty know that Ani Achola and Clay Jensen were watching him and shortly after they went to his car and got the package Monty placed.

Monty hadn't seen Winston ever since he showed him the spot. Monty always felt better with him, he just wanted to hold Winston in his arms again. He wanted to hang out with him today.

The last bell rang, Monty went to his car and texted Winston. Winston was on his way home from Hillcrest, he had just gotten into his Audi. When he saw that it was Monty who had texted, he stopped himself from starting the car.

Monty: "Hey, do you want to do something later?"

Winston: "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

Monty looked at his phone for a second. He didn't know what he wanted to do, he hoped Winston had an idea. Then he remembered something: The spot.

Monty: How about the spot?

Winston: Sounds good, is 7 fine?

Monty: Yeah, I'll see you soon.

Monty enjoyed spending time with Winston. When he was with him, it felt like he was in a different world. A much more calm and gentle world. Winston also liked spending time with Monty. He had never felt the way he feels when he is with him.

Winston had planned to surprise Monty. In order to do so, he would need to get to the spot earlier than when they agreed they would. He understood that Monty was grieving and was not in a good state of mind. Winston hoped that he could help him accept himself and learn to live freely. He also hoped that they would get their relationship to the next level.

When Winston got home, the first thing he did was go to the kitchen. He was going to surprise Monty by cooking for him. Winston prepared a variety of different sandwiches, he didn't know which one Monty would like so he make a couple for him to try. Once Winston finished grilling the bread, he made sure he had everything he needed. Food, drinks, candles, and a blanket. Winston put everything in his car and drove off.

As soon as he got there he set up the candles, then he placed the basket of food in the center. Winston was excited, he really wanted to show Monty that he cared about him.

Monty arrived ten minutes after Winston finished setting everything up. The second he saw what Winston had done for him, his jaw dropped. "What the fuck did you do-" he said looking at Winston with puppy dog eyes.

"Surprise." Winston smiled.

As Monty walked towards Winston, all they both could do was smile. Monty sat down next to him, "You did all this?" he asked.

Winston nodded, they both looked into each-others eyes. Monty took Winston's hand and gave it a kiss. Shortly afterwards, they began to eat. "Did they find any new evidence?" Winston told him.

"No, not that I know of. But they do suspect that Clay Jensen had something to do with it. I wouldn't be surprised, that asshole hated Bryce." Monty said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

Winston continued eating, then Monty said, "This is so good, when did you become a chef?"

Winston laughed, "Haha, not really. My parents aren't home most of the time so I had to learn how to take care of myself."

Monty smiled at him for the hundredth time, Winston was so beautiful to him. Is everything okay with you and your dad?" Winston asked.

Winston remembered when Monty beat him up at the party, Bryce told him that Monty gets beat at home. He didn't like the fact that Monty would get abused, he didn't deserve that. Winston would even help him press charges, if necessary.

"It's never been okay, I don't think it ever will." After he said that, Winston went in for a hug. They stayed there, watching the stars.

They were both laying down on the blanket, surrounded by candles, holding each other just like they did the first time they went to the spot. At that moment Monty realized that he loved this boy. He never felt this kind of love for anyone else, Winston was something worth living for.

"I hope that you know I'd do anything for you. I'll be here just for you, It'll be okay." Winston told him.  
————————————————————————  
Winston walked into the cafeteria where the "Future Fair" was. There was a bunch of clubs and college booths. As Winston walked, he saw a familiar face- it was Ani. As Winston walked through the cafeteria, Ani kept looking at him. She knew he was at liberty for a reason, she needed a plan.  



	5. Secret

Montgomery showed his anger, but not where it came from. Monty was in the middle of a fight with his dad. It was one of those days where he came home drunk and started fights out of nowhere.

"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU LITTLE CRIMINAL." Mr de la Cruz said as he went outside, smashing a beer bottle.

"I'LL SPLIT YOUR HEAD OPEN YOU LITTLE SHIT, GOD DAMMIT." Mr de la Cruz spotted Clay and Ani hiding behind the car, "Hey, I see you. Don't move." Once he said that he fell to the ground.

Monty followed him outside with a nightstick in one hand, "Not so tough now you fucking piece of shit." Monty pointed the nightstick at him until he saw something move. He saw Clay Jensen and Ani Achola, he moved closer to them. "The fuck are you doing here?" Monty said, angrily.

"We-uhh nothing." Clay told him, going in front of the car. "Is that blood?" Ani asked.

The fact that they followed him home made Monty furious, what did they want? "What's it to you?"

"It it Bryce's?" Clay said in an accusing tone. That made Monty laugh, "No it's mine, and his. You want a taste?" Monty pointed at his dad on the floor.

"No thanks."

"He was my best friend asshole, leave me the fuck alone." He spat. Monty went back into the house and checked on Estela. "Hey, are you okay?"

Estela was in her bed with covers all the way up from head to toe. She took the covers off her head, "Are you?" Monty didn't reply.

"I fucking hate when dad gets like that. Where is he now?" Estela asked.

"He passed out outside." Monty said.

"Not surprised." Estela paused, "Are you ready for the funeral on Sunday?"

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Monty didn't want to show that he was hurting. It wasn't something new to him, he was used to covering up his emotions well. He would always pretend everything was okay, when it really wasn't.

Nobody gave a shit about his home life, it was an open secret.

Monty wished he could tell her about Winston, he just couldn't. He was too ashamed of what she would think. Estela has been there for Monty for as long as he could remember, this was just something he wasn't able to tell her.

Estela looked at Monty, she knew he wasn't okay. She went up and gave him a hug, "Take care of yourself, okay? It's all going to be fine." She said.

Monty hugged her back tightly, "I know."  
——————————————————————————  
"What do you mean you go here now?" Ani asked.

"I transferred."

"Why?"

"I got expelled, that kid Brian Chu got caught hacking the school servers. He ratted us all out to save his sorry little ass. So, bye bye Hillcrest," Winston paused, "And Princeton."

"Shit." Ani said.

"It's kind of a relief really, getting caught. I don't have to live with that secret anymore, you know. That shit can kill you." Winston smirked, like he was implying something to her.

Ani titled her head, pretending she didn't know what he meant. "Besides, I think it's growing on me, Liberty. I think I could make a future for myself here." Winston said then walked away into the crowd of students as Ani stood there. She knew she and her friends were in trouble now that Winston could possibly expose the truth.  
——————————————————————————  
That same night Winston got a Facebook message from someone named Clay Jensen. The message read, "Hey, Winston. We have to talk about Bryce Walker and something we found. Does Monet's tomorrow at one work? Message me when you can."

When Winston read that he recognized the name, Clay Jensen. Monty had told him earlier that day that the police thought Clay had something to do with Bryce's murder. Winston thought he wanted to clear his own name and was trying to find information about anyone connected to Bryce.

Because they went to the same school, he had an idea what Clay wanted from him. Winston messaged Clay back telling him that Monet's works and that he will see him there. Meeting up with a stranger wasn't really something Winston does, but he was curious on what they had found.

The next day, Winston found himself sitting at a booth at Monet's with not only just Clay there, but another girl named Ani.

Ani showed him the Hillcrest ID that you needed to take the SAT. The card had Winston's name on it and a picture of the guy to took the SAT for him. "Brian Chu, he took the SAT for me." Winston said.

"Wait, but how'd Montgomery get it?

Winston looked down, he didn't want to tell them about him and Monty. Their tone seemed like they were pushing him for answers. He didn't want them to think that Monty had something to do with Bryce's murder and was hiding something, "Bryce Walker got it from Brian."

"Well, why'd Bryce want it?

"Leverage, so I wouldn't talk."

"About what?" Winston knew this question was coming, how could he tell them about him and Monty at the party? It would be a shitty thing to do to out a person like that. He looked down and remained silent.

"Dude, Bryce is dead." Clay said, it felt like he was implying Winston knew something.

"It's not about that. I made the deal with Bryce to keep quiet, but really it was for Monty." Clay looked at Ani, "You know Bryce from Hillcrest, how'd you know Monty?" Ani asked.

Winston hesitated, "We met at a party."

Winston looked up at Clay and Ani, "Bryce arrived with Monty to the party, I saw him as he went inside the house. After a while, Monty found me again and then we hooked up. We both made small talk and then left. The party was almost over and I asked Monty if he wanted to hang out, but he didn’t want anyone to know so he beat me up in front of everyone. Bryce and another guy pulled him off and took him to the car.” Winston took a pause, “It’s not easy to come out, he wasn’t ready.” After that, Bryce walked over to me and made the deal to keep quiet. He was with some boy who appeared to have bought something from him. "

"Do you know who the boy was?" Clay asked. Winston looked unsure at first and the remembered, "I think his name was Alex."

"You sure it was Alex?"

Winston nodded, "Yeah."

"But Bryce and Alex didn't know what happened between you and Monty? And Bryce got you the ID to keep you quiet?"

"Bryce brought me the cash, he said he got the ID from Brian and we didn't talk about it anymore. I'm fourth-generation Princeton unless that gets out."

Clay sighed.

"You kept Monty's secret, even though he beat the shit out of you?" Ani asked.

"That's a secret you keep. So, use it well okay?" Winston hoped they wouldn't tell anyone about what he had told them. They probably just needed piece of mind so they wouldn't accuse the wrong person of murdering Bryce.

When Winston left Monet's, he texted Monty. He wanted to know how he was feeling and if he was ready for the funeral tomorrow.

Winston: Hey, are you doing alright?

Monty: Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday. You didn't have to do that.

Winston smiled when he read that. Monty deserves the world, he would do anything for him.

Winston: No, you really did deserve it. You're going through a lot and you needed some comfort.

Monty: I'll talk to you tomorrow and see if you can come to my place

Winston: Wouldn't your dad be there?

Monty: My dad won't be there, my mom and sister aren't going to be home either. 

Winston: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.

———————————————————————————  
Tyler was showing Winston the dark room and explaining how to access it. They were talking until Winston saw a picture of what seemed to be Tyler's friends, "These are really good, are they for yearbook layout or student leaders?" He asked.

"No-uh those are for a thing I did for my friends, for an exhibit. Tyler said proudly.

Winston studied the photos, "You're friends with Ani and Clay? He asked.

"Yeah, wait do you know them?"

"Uh.. sort of. Ani showed me around the future fair today and I saw Clay on the news last semester."

"Well, don't believe the news because Clay is a really good guy. He's always been there for me, and Ani too." When Tyler said that Winston nodded his head and had a sarcastic smirk on his face.

"Hey, can I borrow the last couple of yearbooks. I want to get a sense of your style and formatting."

"Yeah, of course! These are the last few ones I've worked on." Tyler passed Winston a stack of yearbooks.

"Thanks." Winston looked up, it seemed like Tyler liked meeting new people. Tyler was being really nice to him.

"Of course."

The day had gone by very quickly. Winston asked Tyler for the yearbooks because he wanted to see how Liberty was. Just so he could get used to being there. Winston was glad he made a friend, or so he thought. He was aware of what Monty did, he knew Monty was struggling a lot. He realized that he wasn't trying to get justice for his bad side, but for the side that he saw. Nobody deserves to be framed of a crime like that.

Winston was on his bedroom floor. He opened his backpack and took o the yearbooks that Tyler has given him early today. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he just wanted an idea of how Liberty was like over the past few years. Winston looked at a few pages, he turned to the next page and that's when he saw him. He saw a face, it was Monty.

He put his fingers on the picture, studying it. Monty was smiling like never before, Winston thought about how much he missed seeing his face. If only he could hug him one last time, it was all Winston wanted to do. Winston's heart was racing, it still didn't seem like Monty was dead. His heart was completely destroyed, he didn't want to let Monty down, and he wouldn't.  



	6. Mine

Monty arrived to the funeral. He saw Charlie, Justin, and a few other guys from the football team sitting in the back. Monty sat down next to Charlie, the funeral was going to start soon. He saw Barry Walker and the rest of Bryce's family was seated at the front.

He walked up to Mr Walker to see how he was doing, "Mr Walker!" Monty said, giving him a hug.

"Good to see you, how's the team?" Barry asked.

"We're doing great, we might go to state this year, Bryce taught me everything I know."

Barry nodded, "That's good. Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry for your loss."

Monty and Mr Walker kept talking and then Monty went back to his seat. As he walked back he saw Ani Achola, the girl who had followed him to his house a few nights ago. Monty kept walking and then sat back down, "How's the family?" Charlie asked.

"His dad is doing fine, his mom not so much." 

They spotted Zach going to the front, it appeared that he was going to give a speech.

"Did you talk to Zach?"

"He hated Bryce, I don't know why he's talking-"

"Because he's the team captain," Justin cut off.

Monty didn't know why Justin was at the funeral, "Why are you even here? You weren't his friend at the end." To his knowledge, Justin and Bryce became enemies since that night at Bryce's house last fall.

"Neither were you, man."

Justin was right, Monty wasn't Bryce's friend at the end. The last time they talked it was in the locker room shortly before the homecoming game, when Bryce confronted him about raping Tyler.

"But there was a time where we both loved him," he added.

There it was again, the word love. Monty didn't understand why everyone kept saying that, he didn't understand why everyone made it seem that way. He didn't want to admit that he loved Bryce, not even as a friend. How could he love someone? He still had internalized homophobia, and would do anything for nobody to even sense that he was gay.

"I didn't love him," Monty said.

"I did, he was my brother." When Justin said that, Monty thought how could someone admit they loved someone even as a brother? All the beliefs his father had pushed onto him couldn't even get him to admit that he could love a boy, in any way.

Charlie began to speak, "He was always really nice to me, even when I was a freshman, I guess he changed."

Monty was still looking forward, but he was still listening.

"No, same guy who was nice to you was the same guy someone wanted dead."  
———————————————————————  
Today was the college tour at Sanderson University, a small and close university to liberty. Winston didn't really think to much about it, he thought that his future was pretty much over but was going on the tour because he had to. It would be a nice distraction from everything he was going through, but not today.

Every day that passed got worse, he had to set aside pain and bring all of his courage to continue this investigation. Winston walked through the doors and saw everyone crowded around the admin doors, he eventually got to the front of the crowd and then he saw it.

MONTY WAS FRAMED

The janitor had just started cleaning a mysterious sign that was below the letters. Winston's mind filled with questions: Who else knew Monty didn't kill Bryce? Did they have any proof?

All the students started turning their heads and asking each other questions. A few students in particular looked like they were more worried than the others. Winston didn't think much of them, but now he was more determined to find the truth:If another person knew Monty was framed, then maybe they could help each other out to discover what really happened.

Winston spotted a girl named Estela de la Cruz, it was Monty's sister. The football players were around Estela, comforting her. She was now going to school at liberty, but did she care about the graffiti? Was she going to do something about it? Winston wanted to introduce himself, but he was going to wait for the right time.

He saw Tyler, who was taking pictures.

"I know you're all concerned about this," he signaled towards the admin doors, "It's a real violation and we're going to find out who did it. Everyone go back to class, thank you."

The seniors needed to attend first period and then meet in the parking lot for the college tour.

Winston had art for first period, and to his surprise, so did Ani. She must have been worried that someone knew something, but she acted like she didn't care. When she walked in, she looked at Winston like she thought he was the one who did.

Everyone else in class was just moving along like it was any other morning. He thought enough about how nobody didn't seem to care about the vandalism, that was until he saw Justin Foley walk in and approach Jessica Davis.

From his seat, Winston couldn't tell what they were saying. The room got quieter and Jessica's voice became louder and clearer, "You want to talk about trauma and how I got traumatized in the first place? Let's talk about you, and your friend Bryce..."

Ani cut her off, told Justin to go, and that was that.

Trauma. What trauma?

Winston figured she was friends with Ani, he knew that her and a group of them framed Monty. Jessica seemed to be apart of the group, and she also mentioned something about Bryce, but what did she mean by trauma? That was something Winston had in mind.

Before the tour, the seniors got a little free time. Winston he wanted to go to the darkroom and see the pictures Tyler had taken of the graffiti.When he walked in, he was already hanging the pictures up on the rack.

"You've got good stuff."

"Yeah, I've got a bunch on digital too."

Tyler had been doing photography since the start of high school, he was very passionate about his work.

"Looks like you got to it before anyone else did."

"I was here for yearbook stuff pretty early on."

While Tyler continued hanging the pictures up, Winston examined a photo he took that morning.

He heard about what Monty did, he knew it was terrible thing. I- I heard around that Monty was the one that hurt you, right? That's why you stood up at the assembly?"

"Yeah, it was Monty."

It was silent for a moment, Winston thought he said the wrong thing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's cool."

Everyone saw Monty as a monster, but what Winston saw was a struggling boy who needed love and someone to love. "You must hate him so much."

"No I don't, It's um, I don't know it's weird but I- I feel bad for him. I mean, I'm the reason he's gone. They said that the guy who killed him, called him a child rapist, I'm-I'm not a child. I was so angry at him but now I just feel sad."

When he mentioned Monty being killed Winston looked down for a second and then back up.

Winston had also stood up at the assembly, he knew it wasn't easy for someone to speak up. He was grateful that Tyler opened up about his story and that he was being nice to him, "Thank you for being so honest, Tyler."

They heard an announcement over the intercom, "Good morning seniors, it's time to make your way to the buses for the college tour."  
———————————————————————  
Zach had already started to give his speech. During his speech Monty had no emotion, just staring straight ahead. Zach ended his speech, "I am my brother's keeper. Bryce, I'm sorry and goodbye."

Nora Walker was next to speak. She talked about how Bryce was capable of monstrous things, but had a heart that wanted to be good.

"I loved him, we loved him-"

"Bryce Walker was a rapist!" One girl said, standing up. "Believe survivors! Mourn the victims, not the rapist!" They had also brought out a banner.

It was the HO girls from liberty.

"Bryce Walker should burn in hell!" Girls kept standing up and chanting, "Justice for Hannah, justice for Jessica! End rape culture!" Another said.

Barry Walker stood up from his seat and began yelling, "Hey! Get that sign down, shut up!" He began yelling at security,"Do your job!"

The police eventually handcuffed the girls and took them away. The funeral ended early and Monty went into the parking lot and into his car.

Monty drove home, he was still pissed off at the girls who protested at Bryce's funeral. He remembered that Winston was coming over to his house, which calmed him down. He would be fine as long as he had him.  
———————————————————————  
On the bus, Tyler went to go sit with Alex, Winston sat alone near the middle of the bus. As he walked through the aisle, he saw Clay Jensen and Justin Foley sitting next to each other in the back. Winston looked back at Clay, who appeared to be in a rush to hide something. Principle Bolan got on the bus and started to talk.

"Good morning, seniors! Now, I know a lot of you tend to overlook Sanderson because it's so close to home, but the reality is it's one of the four most private universities in the country. With, fun fact–an award winning literature department headed by the father of our very own, Clay Jensen."

Bolan went to the back of the bus and sat next to Tony Padilla, who was sitting across from Justin and Clay.

The bus arrived to Sanderson in about five minutes. The seniors walked to the main campus area, "Two groups please, two groups!"

Winston was apart of group one, he was walking alone until a football player accidentally bumped into him,"Sorry man, didn't see you there."

"You're good."

The football player was Diego Torres. Behind him were a few other guys from the team.

"I'm Winston."

He shook his hand, "Diego. And that's Luke." He signaled to another football player who was walking with him.

"Are you new around here? Never seen you before."

Winston nodded, "I transferred."

"Are you enjoying Liberty so far?" Diego said sarcastically.

"It's not bad, I just didn't know vandalism was a common thing here."

They laughed, "Lots of fucked up shit happens here."

They saw a bench nearby and decided to go on a break. Winston sat down and Diego sat right beside him, Luke decided to stand. "Like what?"

Diego was still in pain, his best friend was taken away from him, he didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. Monty's the reason he is where he is now. He figured Winston had already heard of what happened since it was a small town and word spread.

"Um, it's just—everything was fine until," he paused, "–until my best friend died."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's fine. They're trying to accuse him of shit that we know is not true, we think someone is behind it."

Was Diego planning to figure out the truth?

Winston wanted to tell him that he knew Monty, or that he could help clear his name, just not yet.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure he meant a lot to you."

Diego exhaled, "Yeah, he did."

After a few seconds of silence, Diego looked at his phone and realized the time.

"We should get back to the tour, it's getting late and we are probably going back to school soon."

"It was nice meeting you guys, stay strong."

"Alright man, we'll see you later."

They got up from the bench and less than an hour after touring Sanderson, before they knew it they were on the bus going back to liberty.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. It was an exhausting day, Winston was glad it was over. He did have some pieces of the puzzle, but it was still a long way to go. He now knew one of Monty's friends, which was a step in the right direction.

In his room, Winston moved his hand into a pile of papers he had on his desk. After picking the stack up a particular page fell onto the ground. It was a piece of paper that had a list of words in French. Winston's mind remembered the night of Bryce's funeral, when he came over to Monty's house.  
———————————————————————  
"How'd the funeral go?" Winston asked.

They were both sitting down on Monty's bed, Winston had just gotten there. He was leaning against his shoulder and Monty had his arm around him.

"Fucking rape girls protested at his funeral," he took a pause, "They didn't know him."

Winston looked at Monty, "I'm sorry about that." He to go give Monty a hug and then a kiss. Monty really wanted to deepen the kiss but he did want to know a little more about Winston.

Monty never imagined what it was like going to a private school, he had been in public school his whole life. He wondered if Hillcrest was just as shitty as Liberty, "How's Hillcrest going?"

Winston was hesitant. He didn't exactly have the best experience at Hillcrest. His parents had pressured him his whole life to get the grades to make it into Princeton. That's why Winston hired someone to take the SAT for him, just to be sure.

"It's fine, but there's always some asshole, but you learn to deal with it." He joked.

Monty could tell he wasn't joking, who would hurt Winston? Monty thought about every time he teased or made fun of someone. He didn't want to do that anymore. Acting all tough was a waste of time, especially if you can replace it with moments like these. Monty wanted something better for his life, Winston was that.

It was because of his father, he would get rage and take it out on others. He ahad fear and shame, but the more time he spent with Winston, it was all going away.

"What do they do?"

"It's nothing really, don't worry about it."

Monty would protect Winston at all cost, nobody would mess with him as long as he was around.

An hour passed, Monty and Winston continued talking until they both went to the kitchen to get drinks. It was getting late and Winston was starting to worry, "Are you sure your dad isn't coming home?" Monty told him earlier about how his dad acts and his behavior.

"Dad is at a work meeting, he won't be home till tomorrow."

Both of them went back to the bedroom, they sat on the floor. It was getting late, Winston didn't know if Monty wanted him to stay the night, when he asked, he was totally fine with him staying.

"Are your parents going to know you're not home?" Mont

"They're in France right now, they'll be home next week in time for thanksgiving. They travel a lot, I'm used to it."

Monty guessed that Winston had to grow up fast and take care of himself, that was something he could relate to. He never had time to be a boy, his dad always fought him, Monty had to learn how to defend and take care of yourself from a young age.

"France? You're from there?"

"Well, my grandparents are. I've never been there, but growing up my mom taught me the language. Sometimes at school they would give lessons, too."

Monty also knew how to speak another language, he spoke Spanish. But he would only speak it if it was with his dad or other family members.

"Can you teach me?"

Winston smiled, "Okay."

Monty got out a piece of paper and pen, Winston repeated several basic words so he could write them down.

Salut, oui, non, au revior, je t'aime, merci.

He wrote them down then Winston read aloud the definitions. They would both laugh whenever Monty would say the pronunciation wrong, or if he messed up meanings. It was fun time for both of them, they joked and laughed.

Monty did seem really concentrated at times, Winston wondered if he had a love for learning new things. Winston helped him on his pronunciation until he got it right.

"I never really learned any new languages growing up, I knew Spanish because of dad, but that's about it." As he said that Winston looked over to him, lost in his dark green eyes. Both of them stared at each other, they both felt a connection that felt like it couldn't be broken. Monty had expressed vulnerability and that he was capable of loving, the time they had spent together really meant alot to each of them.

Winston broke the silence, "You want to go over them one last time?"

"Sure." Monty repeated each word and Winston cut him off once he got to a specific word, "au revior, je t'aime,"

"Je t'aime," Winston said.

Monty looked up at him, he remembered it meant I love you. He paused for a moment, Winston loved him?

"You do?"

He nodded. Monty was hesitant to admit that he also loved him, he never felt this way before and didn't know how to express it. He'd gone through so much in his life, it was time to stop holding back and  
finally experience happiness. He didn't think there was a future but when he was with Winston, he could finally see one.

Monty got closer to Winston and hugged him, he looked into his eyes, "I love you, too."  



End file.
